AWESOMEVER - WINDOWS SETUP AND UPDATES

Requires Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), Windows PowerShell 5.1 or newer, and a Steam
account with access to Awesomenauts. Keep Steam open and signed in when playing.

FIRST INSTALLATION
1. Extract this entire ZIP to a new writable folder outside your Steam library.
2. Double-click Install-Awesomever.cmd.
3. Accept installation when asked. DepotDownloader downloads the original game
   directly from Steam. Complete its Steam sign-in and Steam Guard prompts.
4. Setup verifies the game, applies the patch and checks the required 32-bit
   DirectX libraries. If needed, it opens the official Microsoft installer
   supplied by Steam. Complete Microsoft's licence and administrator prompts.
   Setup and the game themselves do not need administrator privileges.
5. Use Play Awesomever.lnk in this folder to play. It points directly to
   Awesomenauts.exe. You can copy the shortcut to your desktop.

EVERYDAY PLAY
Open Play Awesomever.lnk with Steam open. No command window, updater or other
Awesomever program needs to keep running. Do not move the installation folder
or its .awesomever directory after creating the shortcut.

UPDATES
Close the game and open Install-Awesomever.cmd again when you want to check for an
update. It asks before applying one, preserves your settings and keeps the
previous installation if staging or prerequisite setup fails. After a successful
update, it refreshes Play Awesomever.lnk; replace any desktop copy with the new
shortcut. It does not run as a scheduled task or a background service.

If the update service is unavailable, an already verified installation can still
start; access to online play depends on Steam and the game server being available.
Allow disk space for the original game and additional installed versions.
Only Awesomenauts.exe is patched. Python and extra runtime DLLs are not required.

TROUBLESHOOTING
Use Install-Awesomever.cmd instead of opening the .ps1 file directly. It permits
the bundled PowerShell scripts only for this setup process; it does not change
your saved Windows execution policy.
If Steam interrupts a download, read the error shown above the updater's final
message, then run setup again. Downloaded files are verified and reused. A new
Steam sign-in may be required; setup does not remember your Steam credentials.
An organization's PowerShell policy may prevent setup from running. Do not change
that policy without your administrator's approval. Download a fresh complete ZIP
if installer files are damaged. Never download individual DirectX DLLs from
third-party websites. For community help, follow the Discord link on Join.
